"Wow. That guy really knows how to make an entrance, doesn't he?" Anita said, half-impressed, half-sarcastic as her eyes followed the scene.
"Yeah. He sure does," Mdachi muttered bitterly, his gaze now fixed on Edric, who had instantly drawn a crowd of admiring students around him.
"Come on, guys," Edward teased mockingly, glancing at his friends. "Don't be haters just because he's cool and everyone likes him."
Mdachi was just about to clap back when he noticed Edric breaking away from his crowd and heading straight toward them, a confident smile on his face and his 'flock' trailing behind like loyal shadows.
"Hey, bro," Edric greeted coolly, extending a fist toward Edward.
Anita's eyes widened slightly. "Oh wow… So he has a British accent too?" she murmured, clearly taken aback by the crisp charm in his voice.
Mdachi's glare sharpened.
"Hey, bro," Edward returned, fistbumping him with a pleasant smile, though his eyes flicked cautiously between his friends.
Edric looked toward Anita and Mdachi, then turned back to Edward. "These your friends?"
"Yep. They are," Edward replied, gesturing to them. "They're my best friends."
He paused, noticing the strange expressions on their faces. Confused and slightly disappointed by their attitude, he glanced back at Edric with a tight, forced smile.
Edric, meanwhile, had already locked eyes on Anita. He extended his hand with a charming grin. "Hi. I'm Edric. Nice to meet you."
Anita, snapping from her brief daze, collected herself gracefully and took his hand. "Hi. I'm Anita. Nice to meet you too, Edric."
Edward stared at the handshake, his lips tightening into a suspicious pout.
Then Edric turned to Mdachi—but hesitated. He tilted his head slightly, studying him.
"You…" he murmured, stroking his chin. He looked like he was piecing together a memory. "I've seen you before somewhere…"
Mdachi said nothing, his glare unwavering.
Suddenly, it clicked.
"Ah! It's you!" Edric snapped his fingers in realization. "M... Mike, right?"
"Mdachi," came the cold correction.
Anita and Edward exchanged puzzled looks. It was rare to see Mdachi this icy—especially toward someone who seemed this friendly.
"Yeah, Mdachi," Edric continued, still upbeat. "How've you been, pal?" he added, placing a hand casually on Mdachi's shoulder.
Mdachi stared at the hand like it was a fly on his food.
Edric immediately pulled it back.
"Okay… I see you're still mad about yesterday," Edric said with a sheepish chuckle.
Mdachi didn't respond. His expression remained unreadable—cold and flat.
Edric sighed, offering a mild smile. "Look, man. I didn't know you'd get so sentimental about it. But hey, I'll stand down—for your sake, alright? No hard feelings?"
Before Mdachi could reply, a girl from Edric's crowd leaned in, clearly smitten. "Edric, can we go now?" she asked, tugging lightly on his arm.
Edric glanced at Edward. "Sorry, bro. Gotta go. I'll catch you later?"
Edward, watching him leave with an oddly impressed expression, nodded. "Yeah. Talk later."
With that, Edric turned and walked off toward the school building, the girl clinging to his arm as his followers moved in sync behind him like shadows drawn to his glow.
-------
The three spoke all at once.
"You know that guy?" Mdachi asked Edward, his voice sharp with betrayal.
"Why were you so cold toward him?" Anita questioned Mdachi, eyes wide.
"What was that all about?" Edward asked Anita, suspicion curling his brow.
They again tried to speak, but then paused, realizing they had spoken over each other once more.
A brief silence settled over them.
Anita took the lead this time, jumping in before the confusion could return.
"Why were you so cold toward him, Mdachi?" she asked curiously.
Mdachi exploded. "That wanton windbag stole what was mine! Can you imagine—he contested for the presidential position in the Science Club? I've had my eye on that position since forever. And he just shows up out of nowhere and snatches it. Just. Like. That. Who does he think he is?!"
By the time he was done, he was red-faced and fuming, chest rising and falling.
Anita and Edward exchanged awkward glances, unsure what to say.
"…Okay," Anita broke the silence hesitantly. "But… I thought the only way to become president is by club vote?"
"And… he's in Science Club?" Edward added, genuinely surprised.
Mdachi shot him a look — a brow arched high in disbelief.
Edward caught the cue and looked away, sheepish.
Of course Edric was in Science Club. Mdachi had just said it.
Now calmer, Mdachi turned back to Anita. "Exactly. Those backstabbing traitors—they betrayed me. After all those years of devotion… they still threw me under the bus. All for what? Some British-accented Casanova?" He scoffed bitterly. "Simpletons."
His glare drifted to the path Edric had taken, jaw clenched in silent rage.
Seizing the moment, Edward teased Anita. "So… what was that I just saw earlier?"
Mdachi turned his attention back to them.
Anita, already guessing what Edward meant, fought back a blush.
"What do you mean?" she asked, feigning innocence.
Edward wasn't buying it. "You're really gonna pretend like you didn't just melt in front of him earlier—and again just now when I referred to him?"
Refusing to play along, Anita deflected swiftly. "So, Dachi… what was it you were asking again?" she said, looping her arm around Mdachi's stiff one with an oddly sweet smile.
Both boys blinked. They knew that smile. It was dangerous. It was cunning.
"I said…" she emphasized, her grip tightening, "What. Was. That. You. Were. Asking?"
Mdachi's resolve vanished instantly. He swallowed hard, visibly shrinking.
"…So… you already knew Edric?" he asked Edward in a subdued tone, avoiding Anita's eyes.
Trying to help him out, Edward replied, though distracted by Anita's suddenly terrifying side.
"Yeah. We met yesterday during English. Let's just say he put Jasper and Frederick in their place."
By the time he finished, his eyes had drifted to Mdachi, concern creeping in.
Anita finally let go of Mdachi's arm, releasing her intimidating grip.
"So he's not just a position thief, but also a bully's bully," she said flatly, arms now crossed. "Classic."
Changing the subject, she turned to Edward, face serious.
"So, Edward. There was something you wanted to tell us? Mdachi told me you'd already updated him on what I know."
"Yeah. I do have something to share," Edward nodded. "But… can we walk while we talk? I don't feel comfortable saying it out here with all these people around."
"Sure," Mdachi agreed.
The three started walking—Edward in the middle, Anita on his right, and Mdachi on his left. They moved like a victory podium. Edward the gold, Mdachi the silver, and Anita the bronze.
"So," Edward began as they entered the hallway, "after I left your place, Anita, I tried the levitation spell again. In my room."
The two turned their full attention to him, tuning out the noise of students around them.
"At first, I levitated the grimoire. And my hand. It glowed again, with those same blue specks like it did at your place," he said, glancing at Anita. "But then…" He paused dramatically.
"But then what, Edward?" Anita asked, impatient.
Mdachi clutched the straps of his bag tighter, nervous but eager.
Edward grinned, enjoying the suspense. "Then I focused on other things in the room. And when I opened my eyes… everything was fully glowing. The grimoire, my hand, and even other stuff. The whole room was bathed in royal blue. All of it floating. Like… mind-blowing, right?"
They turned a corner.
"Yeah," Anita replied, "but that's probably because you intensified your power output. That's what causes that effect. Did the objects feel heavy—like they were weighing you down?"
"Yeah… a bit," Edward admitted. "But I didn't stop. I kept them afloat."
Then, a shadow passed over his expression. "I mean, I had to press on... And I have to be strong and resilient to get Hallington justice, and to find out why my memories were erased... I need answers."
Mdachi, who had been listening in awe (and with a twinge of envy), suddenly felt a deeper sadness—for Edward.
"We'll figure everything out, Edward," Anita said sincerely. "Eventually. My mom's already trying. Turns out she has her own ongoing investigation so... so she knew about Hallington... She sent her condolences."
Edward's eyes softened. "I appreciate that. Really. Everything she's doing—I appreciate it."
Suddenly, he froze mid-step, eyes widening. "Wait. She's been investigating? She knew about Hallington?"
"Yeah. Did she?" Mdachi asked, equally surprised.
Anita gestured for them to keep walking.
But they just stared at her, waiting.
"I'll explain," she said. "Just keep walking, okay?"
They hesitated, but eventually followed.
As they turned another corner, heading toward their usual hangout with the sofa, Anita sighed. "Well… turns out she's been keeping tabs on me. For months. And yes, she knew about Hallington through her investigation."
Mdachi halted. "Excuse me? Your mom spies on you?"
"Yeah… but not exactly," Anita replied awkwardly.
He continued walking.
"But why?" Edward asked, eyebrows furrowing with concern.
"And how exactly then?" Mdachi added, exasperated.
They arrived at the spot and all sat down.
"You see…" Anita began, searching for the right words. "My mom placed a spell on my phone case. It lets her listen in on conversations whenever someone says supernatural words—like 'supernatural' itself."
The boys stared at her.
Mdachi leaned in, whispering in panic. "So she's listening right now, isn't she?!"
Anita chuckled. "Nope. I changed the case. Look." She pulled out her phone, flashing the new case. "I don't like being spied on."
Mdachi slumped in relief.
Edward opened his mouth to speak, but Anita beat him to it.
"She told me she cast the spell because she sensed weird energy from you, Edward. That day we went to the movies—remember?"
Edward recoiled. "What? Weird energy? Me?" He pointed to himself, stunned. "Why does it feel like all these supernatural chaos revolves around me? And that all this weirdness didn't just start recently… it's been going on for months. That's—" He stopped, overwhelmed. "I don't even know what to say."
"I'm sorry, Edward," Anita said softly, looking down at her hands, then at Edward again. "I know your life has changed… so drastically. In ways no one could've imagined. But it's not your fault. If you ask me, whoever hid your identity is the one who complicated things. I'm not saying they're evil—maybe they had good reasons. Maybe… it was for the best. I mean, it would have been, for me atleast," she whispered the last sentence.
"Yeah, Edward. You're not alone," Mdachi said, straightening up with sincerity. "And you shouldn't beat yourself up over this. It's. Not. Your. Fault."
Edward inhaled deeply, the weight still sitting on his chest. "I know, guys. I always do. Even when I'm drowning in it... I still know. After all, we made that oath, right? 'From the dawn of time till its dusk.'"
"We sure did," Mdachi confirmed, nodding firmly.
"Definitely," Anita added with a gentle smile.
Edward exhaled a half-laugh, trying to lighten the moment. "So, since I'm apparently the star of this pandemonium," he joked weakly, "what was that about some weird energy reading from me?"
Anita leaned forward. "Well… she doesn't know much about it. She sensed it once—just a flicker—and poof! it vanished. She thought maybe it had something to do with you knowing something supernatural, so she cast that spell to keep tabs… but for the longest time, there was nothing. Just recently, though… things changed."
"Mysteries upon mysteries," Edward muttered dryly, a jaded edge in his tone.
Mdachi frowned. "Still can't wrap my head around the fact that your mom cast an eavesdropping spell on your phone case. Like—what? And she used it to spy on our conversations? That's messed up."
"I know," Anita admitted quickly. "Believe me, when I found o—"
BRRRIIIIIIINGGGG!!
The school bell blared like an alarm from the heavens.
Anita groaned in frustration. "Ughhh, that cursed, hollering metal junk!"
"Tell me about it," Mdachi muttered in calm annoyance as students began swarming the halls.
Edward was just about to stand when Anita grabbed his arm. "Wait—so, what's the game plan?" she asked, rushing her words. "You said you suspected Madam Beatrice, right? Should we start with her?"
Both Anita and Mdachi turned toward Edward, watching, waiting.
"Yeah," Edward said, gaze fixed forward. "We start with her. She's our only lead… even if we aren't certain."
He blinked, eyes narrowing slightly. "I just hope she really is a lead."
Then, shaking off the heaviness, Edward stood and suddenly smiled. "But for now… we study, okay? Life still has to go on."
He gave them a wave as he turned to leave, already moving into the tide of students.
"But not for me," Edward muttered under his breath, voice low and lonely, swallowed by the crowd as he disappeared into the hallway.